Machine for manufacturing fiberboards



April 8, 1952 N. RYBERG MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING FIBERBOARDS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 51, 1948 April 8, 1952 NRYBERG 2,592,470

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING FIBERBOARDS Filed Aug. 31, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 0 05 6 y A g/ EL 2/? F C 7L E l 5? -26 l 5d. 1 5 a I l I I 62 ti 5 5/ I} 2/@ fi um m I 52 C) O 2Q Y Patented Apr. 8, 1952 OFFICE .MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING FIBERBOARDS- Nils Ryberg, Stockholm," Sweden Application August 31, 1948; Serial No. 47.060

' 8 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a machine for manufacturing a. building element in the shape of a board madeirom straw or a similar long iibred vegetable material.

A preferred storm of machine to which the invention is applied comprises -an open-ended channel of a cross section corresponding to the desired cross section of theboard to'be manufactured, a hopper supplying measured (predetermined or exactly dimensioned) quantities or the fibrous raw material into said channel at one end of the same, and a plunger reciprocating in the inlet portion of said channel for compactingand gradually feeding the measured quantities of raw material through the channel,

wherein the measured quantities' are step-wise compacted and combined to a continuous board or web during drying the same and a coating material is applied to and glued toeach surface. of the continuous board or web, this web then being. cut' to fibrous boards (elements) of the desired length.

vThe main object of the invention is to create such a machine of the type set forth above, that the material may, in the individualv zones of treatment, be subjected to conditions which as iar as the temperature is concerned are completely independent of each other, and thereby will allow compacting, web-forming and coating mat the: respective proper temperature, whereby the production of straw boards and similar boards of a. high quality is secured. by simple means.

A related object ofthe invention is. to secure a positive supply or the measured quantities of the raw material: atthe correct point of time in relation to thereciprocatory movement of the piston, as well as an exactly timed cutting of the "individual quantities of straw or the like-by the piston in co-operation with a stationaryknife.

*Withthese and other objects'in view the invention comprises the novel features and'combina- "tlon of features-set forth in the followingdescrip- 'tion and specifically pointed out in the annexed claims.

1 In the accompanying *drawings a' preferred form or a machine embodying the "invention is shown as an example.

In the drawings:

Fig; 1 is a substantiallydiagrammatic longitudinal section of the machine,

Fig. 1a and Fig. 1b are side elevations of the raw. material feeder shown in different phases of motionin ordertoillustratelts action.

Fig 2 ice. side elevation on; a larger scale. with partsremoved, ofa mechanism for guiding the plunger in front of the compacting channel,

Fig.3 is, a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2*, with parts removed,

Fig. 4 is across section-on the line IV--IV of Fig. l'througha non-heated section of the com- Fig.- 1 through the drying-channel on a larger scale, and

Fig: 7, isa' longitudinal section of a portion oi. the compacting channel in order to show the means for: preventing backward movement of the raw material'upon the return stroke of the plun r- .Hereinafterthe main elements of the machine as diagrammatically illustrated-in Fig. 1 will first be described.

According to the main feature of the invention the open-ended channel comprises three separate. sections. The first section constitutes the compacting chamber proper, in which a measured quantity of straw or the like is compacted, preferably at normal temperature. The

second section is a heated, binding and webforming-"pressurechamber, in which the compacted-bodiesobtainedfrom the first compacting chamber is step-wise combined with the preceding'compactedbody to a flat web during heating toa temperature allowing the binding or adhesive eifect'of the natural adhesives contained in the straw or other fibrous material to release. The third section is a heated coating .chamber, in which ontoeach side of the straw web a coating web together with an adhesive is applied during heating to the binding temperature of'lthe adhesive as applied, the internal cross-section of'said' chamber being adjustable to allow for coatings of different thicknesses.

."According to a related feature in a machine as characterized above a positively operated feeder is provided at the inlet of the first compacting chamber; which'feeder, when the piston is retracted, positively supplies a measured quantity .0! straw material or the like from the hopper into thefirst compacting chamber, and a knife is provided, against which 'the piston when periorming its working stroke cuts the measured quantity of straw. or'the like. then the web leaving the coating chamber being out to pieces of cles edl nath- Themachine issupperted by a irame i which for erection purposes may comprise two or more sections as indicated. Mounted in said frame near the top thereof is a set of lower and upper working table sections, provided at a certain vertical distance from each other so as to form a longitudinally extending series of horizontal channels between themselves, viz. a first compacting channel section 2 formed by lower and upper table sections 2| and 22, respectively, a second compacting channel section 3 formed by lower and upper table sections 3| and 32, respectively, and a surface coating and drying chan-. nel 4 formed by lower and upper table sections 4| and 42, respectively. The lower table section 2| of the first compacting section 2 projects beyond the front (left hand) end of the respective upper table section 22 so as to form a support for the compacting plunger 5 in front of the inlet of said channel as represented by the space between the said left hand end of table section 22 and the upper surface of table section 2|. The plunger 5 is reciprocated on said projecting portion of the lower table section 2| into and 1 out of channel section 2 by power derived from a motor 6 by a transmission mechanism to be hereinafter more nearly described and is guided during this movement by antifriction rollers which will also be hereinafter described.

Provided above the projecting portion of the lower table section 2| of the compacting channel 2 is a hopper I the lower end of which is situated slightly above the level of the lower surface of the upper table section 22 immediately in front of the fore end thereof. Said hopper extends transversely over the entire width of the plunger so as to be capable of supplying the fibrous raw material along the entire width of the inlet of the compacting channel 2. Provided adjacent, that is, in front of, the lower portion of hopper 1 is a feeder driven from motor 6 in a way to be hereinafter described, said feeder comprising a set of pins or fingers 8 forming a comblike structure which extends over the entire width of the hopper. Said pins are adapted to enter the lower portion of the hopper through a series of slots '9 formed in the front wall of the hopper,

- one for each pin.

Between the non-heated compacting channel section 3 a heat insulation 36 (Fig. 7) is provided. The channel section 3 and the surface coating and drying channel 4 are spaced from each other by a sufiicient amount for allowing the introduction of a surface coating material to either surface of the compacted board while passing from channel 3 to channel 4. In Fig. 1 a lower web of surface coating material is indicated at I0 and an upper web of such material is indicated at I I. Each web is taken from a reel I2 or I 3, respectively, and each web is guided by a series of rollers I4 and I5, respectively. In order to prevent the webs from becoming slack each of them is loaded by a loose roller I6 or II, respectively, supported by a bight of the respective web between a pair of guide rollers I4 or I5, said loose roller being loaded by a weight, not shown, which isrepresented by an arrow in the drawing. In con- 'nection with the webs I 0 and II means, not shown, are provided for applying 'a layer of a .suitable binding agent to the surfaces of the webs facing the board. Provided in the extension of the surface coating channel 4 is a'set of rollers I8 for supporting the finished board as it emerges from channel 4. In connection with the sup- "0- d tioned, is a cross section through channel 2.

, porting path as formed by said rollers I8 a cut-.

ting mechanism is provided to cut off the con of bolts 2I4 on each side.

through plate 22. bolts are formed with integral heads and above the surface coating channel 4 in order to allow the use of surface coating material of varying thickness. The mechanism as indicated in Fig. 1 for this purpose comprises a bed I9 sloping in the direction of movement of the board which is located below the table section 4| at a suitable distance therefrom, a wedge 20 tapering in the opposite direction which is inserted between the bed |9 and the table section 4|, a set of antifriction rollers 23 between the bed I9 and the wedge 20, another set of antifriction rollers 24 between the wedge 20 and the table section 4|, and a hand wheel 25 connected to the wedge 20 for effecting a displacement thereof longitudinally when it is desired to vertically adjust the table section 4 I.

The upper table section 22 of the first compacting channel 2 is provided with a transversely extending knife 26 at its fore end. The edge of this knife should be situated on a level with the lower surface of the table section'22. In order to allow an exact setting of the knife edge on said level, suitable adjusting means are provided, comprising, as indicated in Fig. '7, a series of adjusting screws 21 and a series of clamping screws 28. Immediately behind that point of channel 2 at which the fore end of the plunger is when the plunger reaches its right hand dead centre, means are provided in the table sections 2| and 22 for preventing the amount of raw material compacted at the respective working stroke of the plunger from moving backward upon the return stroke of the plunger. Such means may comprise a pair of toothed plates 23 let into the opposed surfaces of table sections 2| and 22, respectively. The teeth of said plates are designed like those of a ratchet wheel and so arranged as to allow a feeding of the raw material forward (to the right in the drawing) but blocking the material against backward movement (to the left).

The construction of the table sections 2| and 22 and their connection with the machine frame is illustrated in Fig. 4 which, as already men- Each table section 2| or 22 comprising a solid plate having longitudinally and transversely extending strengthening ribs 2|2 and 2|3, respectively, on their surfaces remote from each other. The fastening of the said plates to the frame I of the machine is effected by means of a series Each bolt extends as reckoned from below through a lug N5 of frame I, further through the lower plate 2|, then through a distance member '2 I6, which forms'the respective side wall of the channel 2 and, finally, Below the lugs 2I5 the the plate 22 the bolts have nuts screwed thereon to keep the entire structure together. The distance pieces 2I 6 determine the height of the channel and, thus, the thickness of the board to be produced therein. In this fastening structure the lugs 2I5 may be subjected to heavystresses due to the fact that the entire table structure is clamped thereto. In order to reduce the stresses on the lugs to those resulting from the weight .of the table structure only, the fastening may be modified as indicated in Fig. 5, that is to say,

by inserting a distance tube 2|| between the integral head of eachbolt and'the lower surface of the table section 2|. The lengthof such tube 251' should be so "chosen as to keep' the head of the bolt at a slight distance from the lug 2|5, as indicated'in Fig. 5.

The table sections 3| and 32 are constructed in the same way as'the table sections 2| and 22" except for the. transversely extending borings 34 (Fig. 7) to receive electric heating element. The table sections 3| and "32 are supported and clampedin the same way as are the table sections 2|, 22. 'The table sections 4| and 42 *arevcontion or plate 4| isvertically adjustable. Thus,

the table sections 4|, 42 are connected to aunit together 'withthe distance pieces 3MB (Fig. 6) and the adjusting elements I9, 20, 23, 24 by means of clamping bolts 3|4 pressing on the top surface of the side membersof the tablesection 42.

As already mentioned, the plunger is guided in front of the compacting channel 2 not only by the projecting portion of the lower table section 2| but also by a special guide mechanism in front of said table section. which is diagrammatically.indicated in Fig. l by the small circles 50 and 5|, are shown indetail in Figs. Zand 3. The guide. mechanism comprises on each side of the machine aseries oflower and upper guide rollers 50 and 5|, respectively, for engaging the lower and .upl ersurface, respectively, of the plunger, and a set of guide rollers 52 for engaging the longitudinal edge surfaces of the plunger. On opposite sides of the projecting portion of table section 2| the plungers are v guided by lateral wall members 2| and 2| The transmission between the power motor 6 and the plunger comprises, in the example shown, a rope drive 60, a reducing gear 6| and a pair of connecting rods 62.

From the reducing gear power is also imparted to the feeder 8, Fig. 2. The set of fingers 8 are secured to a frame 80 rotatably mounted on the transverse shaft 8| which is connected by links 82 to arms 83 on a transverse shaft 84. Shaft 8| is driven by a chain transmission or the like 85 from an intermediate shaft 86 which in its turn is driven from the reducing gear by any desired type of transmission gear. Mounted on shaft 84 is a spring loaded stretching device 81 for the chain or the like 85. By the arrangement described for driving the feeder, the fingers 8 are caused to move from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. lb during each return stroke of the plunger. As indicated in Fig. 1b the fingers project through the slots 9 into the hopper l to feed a portion of raw material through the outlet end of the hopper while the plunger is retracted so as to expose the lower end of the hopper. During the return stroke, the fingers 8 move outside the hopper to the position shown in Fig. l as indicated by the arrows in Fig. lb. Thus, no feeding takes place during the working stroke, nor as long as the plunger is at rest.

As shown in Fig. 3 the operating end of the plunger 5 is shaped like a roof, formed as it is by two inclined surfaces 5 and 5 sloping from a point intermediate between the opposite sides of the plunger. The edge of the knife 25 is Said mechanism,

straight and. extends at right angle to the :longi- 'tudinahdire'ctionzof the. channel, as indicated by the dotted line 261m Fig. 3.

The guide rollers 5ll'52 may'be provided with a. surface of a'character to secure a good contact with the plunger without efiecting or deforming it. .To this end the rollers may. be provided with rings .of rubber or the like projecting slightly outside theperiphery of the otherwise metallic roll- .ers.

The operation of the machine will, no doubt, sufficiently appear from the foregoing description. It'is, therefore, considered sufficient hereinafter to recapitulate it in its general outline only.

The raw material, as straw, is introduced by hand or by suitable mechanical means to the hopper .in a way so as to-be distributed over the entire. areaof passage thereof. During the reciprocation of the plunger the feeding fingers 8 are movedin the peculiar way described above so as to feed a measured portion of raw material upon the projecting part of the table section 2| in front-of the inletof channel 2, substantially at the rear dead center of the plunger. Upon the following working stroke the plunger forces said portion of raw material in front of it into the channel 2, compacts it and leaves it forced against the previously compacted board, if any, in chamber 3. The toothed members 29 prevent the portion of raw material thus compacted from moving backward as the plunger commences its return stroke. Owing to the pressure as afforded by the compressed portion on the board in channel 3 the board is fed by .small steps therethrough. While passing through channel 3 the board is heated sufiiciently, say up to. 150 0., for vaporizing the moisture contained therein, so that the board is substantially free from moisture when discharged from channel 3. While passing from channel 3 to channel 4 the board receives the webs of coating material l0 and II. While passing through channel 4 the coating material is held against the surfaces of the board by a certain pressure which may be controlled by adjustment of the lower table section 4|, so that the webs are caused to firmly stick to the board by the action of the binding agent. While passing through channel 4 the board and webs are subjected to a moderate heating, say 0., sumcient for causing the binding agent to set, so that the board when discharged from the channel 4 is in a finished state allowing its immediate use for building purposes. By a cutting device, not shown, the continuous board leaving the channel 4 is out to pieces of any desired length.

What I claim is:

l. A machine for the manufacture of boards for building purposes from a long-fibred vegetable raw material comprising in combination a machine frame including upper and lower wall members for bounding an open-ended flat channel for receiving portions of said raw material at intervals, a plunger reciprocable into and out of said channel for introducing a portion of fibrous material at a time into the channel and compacting it therein as well as feeding it therethrough, a feed hopper for supplying the fibrous raw material onto said lower wall member in front of the inlet opening of said compacting channel, means in connection with said hopper for positively feeding a portion of raw material in said hopper towards said lower wall member during the return stroke of the plunger, a knife edge provided at the front end of said upper wall member on a level with the lower surface of said wall member for severing the portion of fibrous material in front of the plunger, when the operating end of the plunger reaches the inlet of the channel during its operating stroke, other upper and lower wall members provided in alinement with those of the compacting channel for constituting a channel for receiving the compacted material from the compacting channel, heating elements in said other upper and lower wall members for heating the compacted material between said wall members to a sufficiently high temperature for causing the natural binding substances of the fibrous material to act as a binding agent between the fibers, a third set of upper and lower wall members for constituting a channel in rectilinear extension of the next preceding channel, heating means in said third set of upper and lower wall members, means in front of said third set of wall members for applying a web of flexible material to the upper and lower surfaces of the compacted fibrous mass while passing between the second set of wall members and the third set of wall members, and means for adjusting the position of the lower Wall member of the third set of upper and lower wall members in the vertical direction with respect to the upper wall member for changing the thickness of the fibrous product passing therebetween.

2. A machine for the manufacture of boards as claimed in claim 1, and in which the compacting channel is provided with means for retaining the compressed portion therein as the plunger commences its return stroke.

3. A machine for the manufacture of boards as claimed in claim 1, and in which the non-heated compacting channel and the heated shaping channel are heat insulated with relation to each other.

4. A machine for the manufacture of boards as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the provision of means for adjusting the position of the 8 knife to maintain its edge on a level with the respective surface of the compacting channel.

5. A machine for the manufacture of boards as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the provision of means for guiding the plunger in front of the inlet end of the compacting channel.

6. A machine for the manufacture of boards as claimed in claim 1, and in which interconnected means are provided for reciprocating the plunger and controlling the operation of the feeding means in a timed relation to each other.

7. A machine for the manufacture of boards as claimed in claim 1, and in which exchangeable side walls are provided for the various channels.

8. A machine for the manufacture of boards as claimed in claim 1, and in which exchangeable side walls are provided for the various channels which comprise a pair of longitudinally extending distance pieces clamped between side members of the respective lower and upper working table sections.

NILS RYBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 613,362 Great Britain Nov. 25, 1948 

